


Rumple's Daycare

by BarPurple



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Harry Potter References, Magic, Rumbelle Revolution, baby siting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 16:44:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8675044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Maybe reading Harry Potter to the kids wasn't a great idea.





	

Belle stepped out of the spa feeling like a new woman. It had been her day to run day care for the town’s toddlers, but Rumple had treated her to a full pamper session at the spa, assuring her that he could wrangle a dozen little terrors without her. She’d had a mani-pedi, a facial, a full massage and a seaweed wrap; she felt wonderfully relaxed, which is why she’d resisted the urge to switch on her phone until she’d reached the diner and ordered an iced tea.

The second her phone powered up she was inundated with text messages.

 **Cinders to Belle**  
WTF was your husband thinking!

 **Sleeping to Belle**  
NEVER NEVER again is he allowed to look after my kid!

 **Snow to Belle**  
I’m trying to be positive here, but this was not Rumple’s best idea!

 **Emma to Belle**  
Seriously? Killian is going to make him walk the plank, you need to reign your husband in!

 **Regina to Belle**  
DAYCARE NOT PETTING ZOO!

 

Belle let her head bang gently off the counter. A reassuring hand that belonged to Ruby rubbed her shoulder.

“I’ve heard. Trust me it’s going to end better than you think.”

Belle forced her head up to look at Ruby.

“Really? Because right now I’m expecting a lynch mob to escort me home.”

Ruby gave her a toothy grin, “That ain’t gonna happen Belles, because I’m driving you home.”

 

Rumple was sat on the living room floor of their pink house sadly playing with Hope. 

“Papa. We had fun.”

“I know little one, but I think people are going to be angry.”

“Will Mama be angry?”

“I don’t know yet Hope. What exactly happened?”

Her husband and daughter both gave Belle the same panicked look. Rumple picked Hope up and stood with her in his arms as he carefully tried to assess Belle’s mood.

“Mama looks pretty.”

“Thank you Hope. Now what has been going on?”

Hope chewed on her bottom lip and looked at Rumple who was doing his best to hide behind his hair as he focused on the carpet.

“Erm, you know how you were reading the kids that Harry Potter book? Well we got to the part where Mad Eye turns Draco into a ferret and Hope said that…”

“Papa can turn us into amminals.”

“Animals. And well the kids insisted so I did.”

Belle took a very deep, very slow breath and asked; “What animals did you turn the kids into?”

Rumple and Hope both gave her curious glances; that had not been the question they were expecting. Rumple took a second and then said; “Erm, well young Robyn was a fox, Alexandria was a Guinea Pig, Aurora’s kid was a Komodo Dragon, the little Cygnet became a rather impressive swan oddly enough, and young Neal has obviously been spending too much time with his nephew because he became a Garry… garry…”

Hope tugged on Rumple’s hair and supplied; “Gyarados. Nephew Henry’s favourite Pokemon.”

Rumple nodded in agreement; “Yeah that a Gyarados. And our little one didn’t need my help.”

The fatherly pride was obvious on his face as Hope clapped her hands together and was wrapped in a cloud of blue-gold smoke. When it cleared Belle was faced with a scaly, leather clad version of her daughter.

“I became a Mini Beast Mama!”

Belle hid her face in her hands because right now she was trying very hard not to laugh. Rumple cleared his throat and carried on explaining the day’s adventure.

“The kids were all laughing, well, making happy animal noises, and I sort of lost track of time, which is why their parents arrived before I’d changed everyone back.”

Rumple and Hope were giving her worried looks now, they both knew that when they got into this sort of mess it was Belle who had to deal with the townsfolk and neither of them liked putting her in this position. Belle kept a stern look on her face as she asked; “The kids all had fun?”

Rapid nods from both father and daughter.

“And there are no lasting ill effects from being turned into animals and back again?”

Rapid headshakes.

“Pinkie swear?”

Belle hooked her littlest finger around the ones offered by Rumple and Hope. 

“Okay, well then you haven’t done anything wrong and I will talk to everyone’s parents tomorrow and smooth things over. Okay?”

“Fank you Mama.”

“Thank you sweetheart.”

 

The children of the day care group did all of the smoothing for Belle; that night every kid that had spent the afternoon at the pink house repeatedly explained to their parents how much fun they’d had, and how they had asked Mister Rumple to turn them into animals, and no Mum don’t be ridiculous of course we didn’t make a deal with him!

The next morning Belle woke up to messages from Emma, Ashley, Aurora, Snow and Regina asking when Rumple could babysit again. Hope took the news with a casual shrug, but poor Rumple was gobsmacked.

“They trust me? Even after the transfiguration?”

“Yes, Rumple, I think through the eyes of their children the town is finally seeing what I have always seen; the good man behind the legend of the Beast.”


End file.
